FAMOUS.

THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER SURVEYED

8500 AMERICANS AND 32% SAID THEY

HAD AT LEAST ONE TATTOO AND 22%

SAID THEY HAD MORE THAN ONE.

BY ONE ESTIMATE, IT'S A $1.5

BILLION INDUSTRY.

WHILE ALL 50 STRAIGHT -- STATES

RETIRE -- REQUIRE A LICENSE,

THINK IS UNREGULATED.

A SURGEON FROM BOSTON IS THE

FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN

SOCIETY FOR SURGERY.

HOW IS TATTOOING DONE AND WHAT

ARE THE RISKS?

>> TATTOOING CAN BE DONE IN A

COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

ONE, VERY CRUDELY.

THE PROFESSIONALS USE A MACHINE

THAT HAS NEEDLES THAT GO IN AND

OUT OF THE SKIN.

THE RISKS START WITH INFECTION.

SINCE THE NEEDLE HAS TO

PENETRATE THE SKIN, YOU COULD

INJECT SOME BACTERIA AND CAUSE A

PROBLEM.

DOWN THE ROAD, THERE CAN ALSO BE

PROBLEMS.

ANYTHING THAT CAUSES BURNING,

ITCHING AND SCARRING.

ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE SEE

IS THEY COVER A GOOD PORTION OF

THE SKIN, SO IF THE PATIENT WERE

TO DEVELOP MELANOMA, IT'S

DIFFICULT TO SEE.

THERE HAVE BEEN CASES OF TATTOOS

REACTING WHEN SOMEONE GOES FOR

AN MRI.

THEIR QUESTIONS ABOUT CANCER.

>> WITH THE INCREASE OF THE

NUMBER OF PEOPLE, HAVE YOU SEEN

PEOPLE COMING IN WITH

COMPLICATIONS?

>> WE HAVE, BUT IT'S PROBABLY

REFLECTIVE OF THE INCREASE OF

PEOPLE GETTING TATTOOS.

I DON'T KNOW IF THE PERCENTAGE

HAS CHANGED, BUT WE >> HAVE SEEN

AN UPTICK.

>>TALK ABOUT THE INK.

IT IS NOT REGULATED IN THE

UNITED STATES.

THE EU HAS BANNED SOME

INGREDIENTS.

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

>> UNFORTUNATELY, VERY LITTLE

BECAUSE IT IS NOT REGULATED.

THERE IS NO THINK THAT IS FDA

APPROVED AND THAT IS THE MAIN

PROBLEM.

IT WOULD BE BETTER IF THEY COULD

STANDARDIZE AND LIMIT IT TO A

HANDFUL.

>> THE FDA HAS PUT OUT

GUIDELINES.

IS THAT ENOUGH?

>> IT SHOULD BE A WORKING BASE,

THOUGH BE VERY HELPFUL.

>> IN THE SURVEY WE TALKED ABOUT

, ONE QUARTER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE

A TATTOO SAID THEY REGRET IT.

HOW HAS TATTOO REMOVAL --

>> THAT IS WHAT WE SEE MOSTLY.

THE NUMBERS VARY 70%, SOME SAY

40%.

THE NUMBERS VARY.

HOW WE REMOVE THEM IS WITH

LASERS.

A LOT OF LASERS.

IF SOMEONE IS GETTING A TATTOO

REMOVED, MAKE SURE IT IS BY A

DERMATOLOGIST WITH HIGH-TECH

LASERS.

>> YOU SAID EARLIER YOU TEND TO

SEE PATIENTS WITH PROBLEMS BUT

IF A PATIENT SAID I AM THINKING

OF GETTING A TATTOO, WHAT WOULD

BE YOUR DEVICE?

>> THE SAME THING I TELL MY

FAMILY MEMBERS.

BE SURE YOU WANT THE TATTOO AND

KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO HURT.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.